The present invention relates to a heat exchanger, which is utilized in a temperature control or the like for controlling temperature by cooling or heating a corrosive fluid (for example, a fluid such as a developing fluid and photo-resist or the like, which dislikes inflow of a metal ion), which flows through a flow path such as a pipe or if the like in a semiconductor related manufacturing apparatus or the like.
As an apparatus for controlling temperature of the corrosive fluid, FIG. 10 shows an apparatus, which puts a peltier element to use.
The temperature control shown in FIG. 10 contacts and fixes peltier element 41 on a surface of a heat exchanging block 42, which has a large heat capacity as a thermo module and exchanges the heat with the corrosive fluid flowing through a tube path 44. Further, the temperature control shown in FIG. 10 contacts and fixes a thermo transfer means 43 on the opposite side of the heat exchanging block 42 of the peltier element 41 to control the temperature of the above corrosive fluid to a target temperature by controlling the operation of the peltier element 41.
The above stated temperature control is provided with the heat exchanging block 42 on an endothermic side of the peltier element 41, i.e., a cooling surface side and is provided with the thermo transfer means 43 on a heat releasing side of the peltier element 41, i.e., a heating surface side, so that the corrosive fluid flowing through the tube path 44 is cooled by the peltier element 41 via the heat exchanging block 42. At the same time, the heat released from the corrosive fluid moves to the heat releasing side of the peltier element 41 and the heat of the corrosive fluid is transferred to the cooling water flowing through a tube path 45 within the thermo transfer means 43, so that the above stated temperature control can release the heat.
However, according to above stated conventional temperature control, coolness and heat from the peltier element 41 is transferred to the corrosive fluid flowing through the tube path 44 via the tube path 44 in the heat exchanging block 42. The heat released from the peltier element 41 is transferred to the cooling water flowing through the tube path 45 via the tube path 45 within the thermo transfer means 43. As a result, there is a problem such that both of the endothermic side and the heat releasing side of the peltier element 41 cannot take a large heat transferring area, so that an efficiency of the heat exchange is low.
Therefore, it is not possible to effectively utilize the difference between the temperature on the endothermic side and the temperature on the heat releasing side, which is given to the thermo module. Therefore, there is a problem such that the heat exchanger is compelled to be larger and the electric power cannot be effectively utilized.
In order to alternate the heat transferring area, it is necessary to change the design before and after the temperature control has been produced and it is difficult to increase and decrease the heat transferring area in conformity to the user""s needs.
Further, since a conventional temperature control transfers the heat to the fluid flowing through the tube path via the tube path 44 in the heat exchanging block 42 and the tube path 45 within the thermo transfer means 43, there is a problem such that the manufacturing cost of the heat exchanger becomes higher.
The present invention has been made taking the problems into consideration, an object of which is to provide a heat exchanger for a temperature control, which can take a large area for transferring the heat to the fluid while it is compact, has a good efficiency for exchanging the heat, can increase and decrease the heat transferring area in conformity to the user""s needs and the manufacturing cost thereof is low.
In order to attain the above object, the heat exchanger for the temperature control according to the present invention has a laminate constitution such that a heat exchanging board with a plate constitution and a heating board are superposed alternately, wherein the heat exchanging board has a construction such that a flowing path defining board, in which a flowing path with a labyrinth construction is formed, is formed by a folded thin shell; the flowing path defining board defines the flow path with the labyrinth construction by layering more than two thin sheets having many openings so that one opening of respective thin sheets, which are adjacent each other, can be overlapped in a part with two openings of other thin sheet, which are adjacent each other and the flowing path with the labyrinth construction is formed; and the shell has an inflow hole into which the fluid flows and an outflow hole from which a fluid flows out passing through the flowing path with the labyrinth construction.
According to the heat exchanger for the temperature control of the present invention, it is preferable that the shell of the heat exchanging board is defined such that the periphery of a thin metal sheet is sealed by curling the periphery of the sheet. Further, it is appropriate that two heat exchanging boards interposed the heating boards composed of thermo modules and one of the two heat exchanging boards is a heat exchanging board at an endothermic side and other is a heat exchanging board at a heat releasing side; the heat exchanging board at the endothermic side and the heat exchanging board at the heat releasing side have a multilayer constitution such that the hat exchanging board at the endothermic side and the heat exchanging board at the heat releasing side are alternately overlapped with interposing the thermo modules.
Further, according to the heat exchanger for the temperature control of the present invention, more than two of the heat exchanging boards at the endothermic side and more than two of the heat exchanging boards at the heat releasing side are provided, respectively; and the inflow hole and the outflow hole of the shell are connected to common headers, which are interposed by the heat exchanging boards, respectively, between the two heat exchanging boards at the endothermic side and the two heat exchanging boards at the heat releasing side. Alternatively, according to the heat exchanger for the temperature control of the present invention, more than three of the heat exchanging boards at the endothermic side and more than three of said heat exchanging boards at the heat releasing side are provided, respectively; the inflow hole and the outflow hole of the shell are connected to common headers, respectively, between the two heat exchanging boards at the endothermic side and the two heat exchanging boards at the heat releasing side; the headers are put between the heat exchanging boards to be fixed therebetween with being fitted into the inflow hole or the outflow hole of the heat exchanging boards in liquid tight; and the inflow hole or the outflow hole of the heat exchanging board, into which the headers are not fitted, is connected to connecting ductworks for connecting the inflow hole and the outflow hole such that a fluid can communicate through respective holes in liquid tight, between the two heat exchanging boards at the endothermic side or the two heat exchanging boards at the heat releasing side.
The heat exchanger for a temperature control according to the present invention is characterized in that two heat exchanging boards interpose the heating boards composed of thermo modules and one of the two heat exchanging boards is a heat exchanging board at an endothermic side and other is a heat exchanging board at a heat releasing side; the heat exchanging board at the endothermic side and the heat exchanging board at the heat releasing side have a multilayer constitution such that the heat exchanging board at the endothermic side and the heat exchanging board at the heat releasing side are alternately overlapped with interposing the thermo modules; and more than one heat exchanging board at the endothermic side and more than one heat exchanging board at the heat releasing side are provided.
The heat exchanger for a temperature control according to the present invention is characterized in that more than two of the heat exchanging boards at the endothermic side and more than two of the heat exchanging boards at the heat releasing side are provided, respectively; and the inflow hole and the outflow hole of the shell are connected to common headers, which are interposed by the heat exchanging boards, respectively, between the two heat exchanging boards at the endothermic side and the two heat exchanging boards at the heat releasing side.
According to the heat exchanger for the temperature control having above described constitution, the flowing path with a labyrinth construction is defined on the flowing path defining board by layering more than two thin sheets having many openings so that one opening of respective thin sheets, which are adjacent each other, can be overlapped in a part with two openings of other thin sheet, which are adjacent each other and the heat exchanging board is formed by folding that flowing path defining board with a thin shell. Therefore, when the fluid to flow through the flow path with a labyrinth construction of a heat exchanging board flows out to an inner surface side of the shell wall, the fluid comes in contact with a heat transferring surface of that shell wall to be mixed and distributed. As a result, the heat of the fluid can be efficiently and evenly transferred to the heat transferring surface of that shell wall and the heat transferring area is enlarged by the labyrinth construction, so that the transferring efficiency can be heightened to a large extent.
Further, according to the heat exchanger for the temperature control of the present invention, since the heat exchanging boards with a plate constitution and plural thermo modules are superposed alternately so that they have a laminate constitution. On this account, it is easy to change the number of the heat exchanging boards, so that it is also easy to increase and decrease the amount of heat transferring in conformity to the user""s needs.
Alternatively, the flowing path defining board defines a flow path with a labyrinth construction by layering the thin sheet having many openings so that positions of openings of respective thin sheets, which are adjacent each other can be overlapped in a part. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture the path defining board having the flow path with the labyrinth construction easily and at a low price.